Flatbread with Goat Cheese and Caramelized Onions

This Flatbread with Goat Cheese and Caramelized Onions is always one of the first snacks gone when we serve it at a party. Why? It’s easy to make and tastes amazing!

This simple recipe for Flatbread with Goat Cheese and Caramelized Onions has been around my appetizer files for a long time, and it never fails to impress guests.

The combination of warm goat cheese, salty-sweet caramelized onions and fresh basil on a thin cracker crust is hard to beat. Plus this recipe is easy to throw together as a last minute munchie, which is always the sign of a “keeper” in my book.

The only time investment you need to make for this recipe is caramelizing the onions, but that’s really less of a hands-on affair than you think. Follow my suggestions below for perfectly caramelized onions every time:

Does caramelizing onions take a long time?

Caramelizing onions takes a bit of patience, but it certainly isn’t hard. Low and slow is the name of the game here.

If you get impatient and pump up the heat to speed up cooking, you’ll end up with sautéed onions – and probably unevenly cooked onions – rather than caramelized ones. Perfectly tasty, mind you, but not the flavor profile we want here.

What kind of onions do you use to make caramelized onions?

Any white onion will do, though the sweet Vidalia or Walla Walla onions are especially flavorful when caramelized.

Make Ahead Tip: Buy the big bag of onions when they are on sale at the store, caramelize a huge batch and pop the unused portion in the freezer. Leftover onions are great in soups, salads or even sandwiches, too!

So how do you caramelize onions?

If you google how to caramelize onions, you’ll get a million different variations. This is my method based on years of practice:

Use a combination of butter and oil to help the onions caramelize rather than burn. Add the onions and stir to evenly coat.

Resist the urge to stir frequently. Allowing the onions to cook mostly undisturbed will enable that beautiful caramelization that you’re after.

I like to hit my onions with a tiny bit of salt and sugar after about 20 minutes to deepen the flavor. But mostly I leave them alone.

Continue to cook until onions are a deep, rich, caramel color, which might take up to an hour longer. If the onions appear to get too dry or start to burn, add a small amount of water to the pan. Vinegar also works here, too, but it also slightly changes the flavor profile.

What kind of flatbread do you use for this Flatbread with Goat Cheese recipe?

People often ask what product I buy when I specify “flatbread” in the ingredient list. For this recipe, I like my flatbread thin and crispy, so I usually purchase a pre-packaged, ultra-thin pizza crust.

But feel free to swap in regular pizza crust, naan or even pita bread if that’s what you have on hand. You really can’t go wrong with any of these options.

Just make sure to save yourself a slice before they all disappear.

Interested in more flatbread appetizers? Check out these tasty nibbles:

Flatbread with Goat Cheese and Caramelized Onions

This tasty appetizer, made with creamy goat cheese, rich, caramelized onions and fresh basil ribbons, is always a hit at parties. Pair with a salad for a light meal, too.

Prep Time10 minutes

Cook Time10 minutes

Additional Time1 hour20 minutes

Total Time1 hour40 minutes

Ingredients

Onions:

1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoons butter

1 large yellow onion, peeled and thinly sliced

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon sugar

Flatbread:

1 large flatbread

Olive oil for brushing

Kosher salt

4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled

Fresh basil, sliced into ribbons

Instructions

To make the caramelized onions:

Melt the butter and olive oil in a large saute pan over medium-low heat. Add onions and stir to coat. Cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Sprinkle the salt and sugar over the onions and continue to cook for another 30 minutes to 1 hour, stirring occasionally. You're looking for a deep, rich brown color. They may start to stick to the pan a little. If they do, hit them with a little bit of water or vinegar. It's OK if they form a bit of a crust, but don't let them burn. Set aside to cool.

To make the flatbread:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Place flatbread on a pizza stone or baking sheet. Use a pastry brush to brush flatbread with olive oil and sprinkle with a bit of salt. Top flatbread with caramelized onions and crumbled goat cheese. Bake for 6-10 minutes, depending on the thickness of your bread. (The cheese should start to melt and the edges of the bread should start to brown.)

Omg these carmelized onions have changed my life! I swear I have made them every week since I found this recipe! Pizza, quesadillas, burgers, you name it! These are such a great addition to so many meals. Thank you!

Anna,
I love pizza on Fridays, and it’s especially cool to have caramelized onions and pesto in the freezer. Grabbing some cheese, some jarred vegetables, a bit of meat and voila you’re eating amazing food right at home!
This flatbread looks delicious, and goat cheese is an excellent pairing with the caramelized onions.

Oh, and my closets are way overdue for a going-through. I’ll look for a bag of onions on sale!
Thanks!

love these flavors, and agree, a great dish for appetizers, can even serve it in small squares I’m guessing, thank you for this, and also for the make ahead suggestion for the carmelized onion, great idea, nothing wrong with freezing fresh vegetables!